Internal Revenue Service

News about the Internal Revenue Service, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 26, 2015

Editorial suggests that Internal Revenue Service commissioner John Koskinen's announcement to House committee that tax code will not be changed in 2016 to address campaign finance is surrender; maintains IRS should be rigorous in enforcing law that prevents political organizations from making fake claims that they are social welfare organizations. MORE

Jul. 23, 2015

Internal Revenue Service proposes regulation that would end allowing private equity firms to artificially lower their partners' personal income tax bills. MORE

Jul. 6, 2015

Internal Revenue Service is not expected to curb activities of increasing number of so-called social welfare nonprofit groups, created to raise funds for presidential candidates, until after 2016 election; such nonprofits, unlike super PACs, are not required to disclose where donations are coming from. MORE

Jun. 16, 2015

Group of community and labor organizations files complaint with Internal Revenue Service accusing nonprofit Walmart Foundation of using millions of dollars to directly benefit Walmart by combating local opposition to retailer's expansion efforts. MORE

Jun. 12, 2015

Internal Revenue Service announces broad effort to improve security standards in order to protect against type of identity theft and fraud that allowed criminals to steal personal information and divert refunds for tens of thousands of taxpayers; will collaborate with tax preparation firms and state officials to create rigorous new authentication system. MORE

Jun. 3, 2015

Internal Revenue Service chief John Koskinen announces that recent online attack exposing personal information of more than 100,000 taxpayers is rooted in agency's reliance on antiquated software unable to stand up to increasingly sophisticated hacking methods. MORE

May. 30, 2015

Widespread international investigation led by FBI and IRS has led to indictment of 14 people connected to upper strata of soccer association FIFA on bribery and kickback charges; aggressive investigation by United States agencies has led some to question whether aim was to topple leadership of FIFA, which has been accused of corruption, allegation officials deny. MORE

May. 28, 2015

May. 28, 2015

Internal Revenue Service data breach underscores ever-growing threat posed by hackers; tips are suggested to help consumers stave off identity theft. MORE

May. 27, 2015

IRS discloses that organized criminals were able to gain access to past tax returns of more than 100,000 people and to use information to claim some $50 million in fraudulent refunds; say criminals used Social Security numbers and other personal information that was obtained elsewhere to perpetrate the fraud; opens investigation and shuts down 'Get Transcript' application that was exploited. MORE

May. 22, 2015

Problems with regulation of charities have been revealed by charges brought against James T Reynolds Sr for operating fraudulent charities that fleeced donors of more than $187 million; oversight of charities is largely responsibility of Internal Revenue Service, and strengthening regulation has run into obstacles like lobbying and insufficient political will to change system. MORE

May. 20, 2015

IRS signals that it is weighing potential changes in how it treats some classes of tax-free spinoffs, particularly those in which operating business comprises only small portion of new company; change could have serious consequences for Yahoo's plan to spin off its $34 billion stake in Alibaba tax-free. MORE

May. 16, 2015

May. 1, 2015

Convenience store owner Lyndon McLellan in rural Fairmont, NC, is trying to recover $107,702 seized by IRS for so-called structuring of bank deposits; IRS and Justice Dept have said they are no longer pursuing asset forfeiture in non-criminal cases, though repeal does not apply retroactively. MORE

Apr. 30, 2015

Op-Ed article by Dave Du Val, vice president at TaxAudit.com, warns Internal Revenue Service's budget cuts could deprive taxpayers of rights set out in 2014; holds cuts have resulted in expedited audits that make it extremely difficult for taxpayers to respond on time, potentially landing them in United States Tax Court in state of deficiency before they understand situation; calls on Congress to increase budget. MORE

Apr. 17, 2015

Internal Revenue Service will seek some $3.2 billion in back taxes from prominent Texas businessman Sam Wyly, and from the estate of his brother, Charles; allege that brothers hid income by setting up overseas trust funds. MORE

Apr. 9, 2015

Number of tax lawyers, nonprofits and state enforcement agents have raised concerns about Internal Revenue Service's form 1023-EZ, simplified online application for tax-exempt status introduced in 2014; critics say form can lead organizations to make legal missteps and that it makes it easier for bad actors to commit fraud. MORE

Apr. 2, 2015

Justice Department will not charge former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner for refusing to answer questions at hearings on agency's improper treatment of conservative groups; prosecutors do not agree with House Republicans' view that she waived her Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate herself. MORE

Mar. 5, 2015

Personal Tech Q&A on receiving suspicious email from Internal Revenue Service; securing single folders on Apple computer with password; Tip of the Week on managing Charms bar in Windows 8.1 operating system. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Internal Revenue Service has program that gives taxpayers who owe back taxes way to possibly cut amount they owe, but process requires that taxpayers to make payment offer and prove they are unable to pay full amount. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

John Schwartz essay reflects on warning to taxpayers by John Koskinen, Internal Revenue Service Commissioner, about scam artists looking to defraud taxpayers of refunds; suggests that it is relatively simple to determine whether one's tax preparer is a swindler, and offers some humorous examples. MORE

Feb. 15, 2015

Tax specialists are warning businesses that IRS will use greater scrutiny in differentiating between employees and self-employed independent contractors, in large part due to Affordable Care Act and its employer mandate. MORE

Jan. 18, 2015

Editorial lists ways House conservatives' cuts to budget for Internal Revenue Service will harm taxpayers and reduce amount of revenue government will get from taxes; predicts that agency will suffer more under Republican-controlled Congress. MORE

Jan. 15, 2015

Nina E Olson, head of Taxpayer Advocate Service, releases annual report on performance of IRS and attributes drop in services to taxpayers to budget cuts; warns that taxpayers are being harmed by lack of service, which is expected to get worse due to complications to tax filing related to provisions in new laws like health care reform law. MORE

Jan. 12, 2015

Rules issued by Treasury Dept and IRS at end of 2014 require, if nonprofit hospital wants to retain or attain tax-exempt status, it must offer some assistance to needy patients and refrain from using aggressive tactics to get low-income patients to pay hospital bills; rules are backed by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which raises possibility that they could influence behavior of for-profit hospitals. MORE

Dec. 24, 2014

House investigation into Internal Revenue Service's denials and delays of tax exemption applications by Tea Party groups does not show coordination between agency and Obama administration officials. MORE

Dec. 23, 2014

Internal Revenue Service will auction right to receive monthly checks from deferred $7 million contract extension with New York Mets to pay Darryl Strawberry's tax debts; it has set a minimum bid of $550,000 for right to receive remaining payments of $1.28 million. MORE

Dec. 14, 2014

Federal prosecutors agree to dismiss case against Carole Hinders, Iowa restaurant owner whose bank account was seized by IRS based solely on pattern of cash deposits; she was never accused of any crime. MORE

Dec. 10, 2014

Audit by J Russell George, Treasury inspector general for tax administration, reveals that the Internal Revenue Service paid at least $6 billion in child tax credits in 2013 to people ineligible to receive them. MORE

Nov. 23, 2014

Nov. 22, 2014

Congressional investigators say Treasury Dept has recovered missing data from Internal Revenue Service systems; data may include emails and other documents relevant to inquiries into whether agency singled out conservative groups for special scrutiny. MORE

Oct. 26, 2014

Internal Revenue Service has gone after run-of-the-mill business owners and wage owners using law designed to catch drug traffickers, racketeers and terrorists; agents rack their cash, without so much as allegation that they have committed serious crimes; IRS says it will curtail practice in response to questions from The New York Times; practice was uncovered by Institute for Justice, which analyzed structuring data from the agency. MORE

Oct. 24, 2014

Federal Judge Reggie B Walton dismisses two lawsuits against the Internal Revenue Service related to the treatment of conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status, ruling that no remedy is necessary because applications were approved. MORE

Oct. 7, 2014

United States Tax Court rules in favor of artist Susan Crile, who was accused by Internal Revenue Service of underpaying taxes from 2004 to 2009; IRS had claimed that Crile could not claim tax deductions in excess of the income she made from selling her art. MORE

Sep. 6, 2014

Internal Revenue Service says that it has lost emails from five more workers who are part of congressional investigations into the treatment of conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status. MORE

Aug. 15, 2014

Government investigator says Internal Revenue Service failed to do background checks on some private contractors who handled confidential tax data, exposing more than a million taxpayers to risk of fraud and identity theft. MORE

Aug. 10, 2014

Gretchen Morgenson Fair Game column holds that Internal Revenue Service's ruling that allows Windstream Holdings to spin off its copper and fiber network into real estate investment trust opens window into corporate tax loophole; notes that tax experts say ruling will exponentially broaden pool of companies able to tap into preferential tax treatment that was previously limited to real-estate-oriented trusts. MORE

Jul. 31, 2014

Lois Lerner, former Internal Revenue Service official at center of the agency's Tea Party controversy, referred to some conservative Republicans using derogatory language in newly released emails; Republican Rep Dave Camp, who released documents, says remarks show that Lerner is biased against conservative groups and singled them out for extra scrutiny. MORE

Jul. 19, 2014

Federal judge allows lawsuit by 10 Tea Party groups to move forward against Internal Revenue Service, rejecting request by federal government to dismiss all allegations that the agency subjected conservative groups to additional scrutiny. MORE

Jul. 17, 2014

Justice Department, which has been investigating Internal Revenue Service's scrutiny of conservative groups, says it is looking into disappearance of thousands of emails belonging to Lois Lerner, former IRS official at center of investigation. MORE

Jul. 11, 2014

Federal District Court Judge Emmet G Sullivan gives Internal Revenue Service until Aug 10 to explain under oath how it lost emails that Republicans are seeking as part of their investigation into accusations agency targeted conservative groups. MORE

Jul. 10, 2014

Republican lawmakers say Lois Lerner, former Internal Revenue Service official at center of investigation into the agency’s treatment of conservative political groups, may have used an instant-messaging system instead of email so that her communications could not be retrieved by investigators. MORE

Jul. 6, 2014

Editorial contends real scandal at Internal Revenue Service is that Republicans have cut agency's budget, which has lead to sharply reduced staff, less enforcement of tax laws and poor taxpayer service; warns that House Republicans wish to cut agency's budget even further. MORE

Jul. 2, 2014

John Koskinen, new commissioner of Internal Revenue Service, has a style that is quick-witted to point of being sarcastic, and has left some wondering if he is right person to restore agency's battered credibility. MORE

Jul. 1, 2014

The Upshot column; lost emails of the Internal Revenue Service point to wider dysfunction; federal agencies are hampered by outdated computing infrastructure and by regulations that will not require modern techniques until the end of 2016 at the earliest. MORE

Jun. 25, 2014

David S Ferriero, chief archivist at the National Archives, says Internal Revenue Service did not follow the law when it failed to report a hard drive crash that destroyed emails belonging to a senior official at the center of a scandal over the agency’s treatment of conservative-leaning political groups, MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Q&A about the growing Internal Revenue Service scandal over an alleged cover up regarding investigation into targeting of Tea Republican and conservative groups seeking tax exemption. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Testy exchange erupts as Internal Revenue Service commissioner John Koskinen is questioned during House hearing about agency's scrutiny of Tea Party groups; Rep Darrell Issa says Koskinen intentionally misled lawmakers when he testified that he would produce all emails sent by Lois Lerner, former agency official at center of controversy. MORE

Jun. 24, 2014

Letter from Gary Hart, former Democratic senator from Colorado, responds to June 21 article on accusations of lying brought by Congressional Republicans against IRS commissioner John Koskinen. MORE

Jun. 21, 2014

Congressional hearing examining how the Internal Revenue Service lost thousands of emails sought by investigators turns confrontational when Republicans on the panel accusing IRS commissioner John Koskinen of lying; Democrats on committee call panel’s inquiry a 'witch hunt' meant to create the appearance of a conspiracy during an election year. MORE

Manny Fernandez describes the suspicion and paranoia that he encountered while reporting on Jade Helm 15, the United States military’s war game exercises. In Christoval, Texas, some residents are afraid Martial Law will be imposed.